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The Federal Office of No

President Barack Obama’s 2014 State of the Union Address capped many weeks during which he and his staffers touted a “pen and phone” strategy. As the opening quote indicates, the president promised on numerous occasions to use his office to facilitate federal government action in critical segments of economic and social life such as health care, financial services, infrastructure, the environment, scientific research and manufacturing.

The release of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 2014 Draft Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations offers an opportunity to reaffirm the usefulness of muscular regulatory review of federal agency regulations, in an environment in which the executive branch instead champions significant federal involvement in economic and social matters.